User Review : LittleBigPlanet 3

Ups

Customization
Character Variation

Downs

Disconnections
Story Too Short
Character Utilization

Marble madness.

Each successive LittleBigPlanet game tends to offer two absolutes; that its vibrant, affectionate and wholly defining charm will be readily reprised, and that its platforming heart will remain as tightly-knit as its quilted coveralls. In LittleBigPlanet 3 however, the game for the first time begins to fray at the seams, the stitching that adorns its every creation gradually becoming unfastened against the wear of an unbecoming amount of breakage, and an abundance of missed opportunities.

On the surface, LittleBigPlanet 3 is as instantly recognisable as ever, as a hand-scrawled art style meets with a delicately crafted and increasingly diverse series of environments, effortlessly reiterating the ‘blank canvas’ ethos that the game has been built upon. Every locale, be it the slimy, festering stomach of a towering beast or the frosted rooftops of a snowy city look and feel as if they have been built from the ground up, shining with the polish of an accomplished development team, but never beyond the reach of the budding LBP artisan.

Sackboy’s wardrobe seems to have only gotten deeper too, and that’s only ever a good thing, for just how enjoyable can a level set within a theatre of marionettes actually be unless your dressed as a swamp monster and samurai warrior hybrid? Using the unobtrusive Popit, you’re still encouraged to keep the look of your Sackperson forever changing, as slick menus and layer-by-layer customisation allow for the quick creation of some fittingly hideous get-ups.

Most notable though is LittleBigPlanet 3’s attention to detail, which has been marvellously preserved even in this fourth iteration. If the hanging clouds hastily scribbled into life by a cultured hand holding a marker pen or the execution of a player-controlled facial expression following a particularly untimely death aren’t evidence enough, then maybe the sheer breadth of detail in the level design will help to show just how much depth their really is to the knitted platformer, even if a casting glance would suggest otherwise.

The raw identity of LittleBigPlanet is never in question, however as expected, this third numerical instalment brings with it some new additions that aim to weave an few extra patches onto the Sackboy family quilt.

Perhaps the biggest change to the very essence of what LittleBigPlanet is comes in the form of the three brand new characters which, like the addition of the gadgets before them, each add a new flavour to the games dynamic. The fear here was that the inclusion of a bird that has the ability to navigate level subsections through flight, or a shapeshifting mass that can traipse along large walkways or skitter through small crevasses in equal measure would fail to fit in alongside the ever-versatile Sackboy and his pocket full of power-ups. And yet, through segmented level design that caters to each character in a specific way, there’s rarely a feeling that flying detracts from traversing walls, or, in the case of Oddsock, running upside down across the ceiling detracts from hopping hastily across spike-laden chasms.

The three new characters in question are Toggle, Swoop and the aforementioned Oddsock, each of whom have the joyous exuberance of the classic LittleBigPlanet experience emitting proudly from their every thatch. Oddsock, a dog-like character, gallops and bounds across the terrain of each level, clinging to the walls of designated sections and covering ground faster than any of the others. Toggle is a little more complex, having the ability to smash through certain objects in one form, whilst also being able to navigate smaller sections in his alternate form. For an additional bonus, quickly switching between Toggle’s two sizes allows players to manipulate certain aspects of the environment, such as trampolines, which then leads to a jump of far greater height than that of Sackboy. Lastly, we have Swoop, the avian advocate of our quartet, and possibly the most fun of all the new inclusions. Aside from being able to ascend and descend with the push of a button, Swoop can also glide, turning a perilous free-fall into something both poised and graceful.

And with every one of these three new characters as delightfully permeable as our stalwart Sackboy, it’s easy to give each its own discernible look, outfitting the troupe in a whole host of garments procured from a play-through of the games returning ‘Adventure Mode’.

Although its return was nothing short of expected, Adventure Mode, the aspect of LittleBigPlanet that houses the canonical adventures of Sackboy and chums, leaves a lot to be desired this time around. As in previous games, levels are divided into books, with each book offering a brand new hub-world with which to get steadily acquainted. Each hub-world in LittleBigPlanet 3, although nowhere close to being as strikingly definitive as those in past incarnations, offers a location full of levels both integral and optional, playable in any order that you so choose. The first problem here is that three of the five major hub-worlds are based around the recruitment of the new characters, with the payoff for successfully freeing either Swoop, Oddsock or Toggle from their respective shackles being a whole other location devoted to doing the exact same thing again.

And when you do finally release all three heroes, all that awaits is an awfully finicky boss battle against another one of LittleBigPlanet’s archetypal behemoths, only this time with the emphasis being on the new trio rather than on Sackboy. But even here, the game remains bereft of the symbiosis that should’ve been expected from its new gaggle of protagonists, with each of the new characters given their own distinct section to master alone, their friends left to look on and ponder what might’ve been had the game focused on their cohesion rather than an overdone introduction followed by an underwhelming conclusion.

Most disappointing though is the breakage that the game seems rife with, as latency problems during cooperative play, frame-rate drops and random disconnections mire gameplay with an unnerving consistency.

It’s pleasing to note that LittleBigPlanet 3’s platforming is arguably tighter and more responsive than it has ever been before, but when an already jittery camera is caught between following the motion of your drowning partner and you as you run a gauntlet of fire, it makes an already tricky situation that little bit more untenable. Thanks to latency issues, especially during co-op, perfectly timing a jump from platform to platform within a very short window is nothing short of infuriating, as you begin to wonder just exactly how you’re meant to beat both the level and the extenuating circumstances at the same time. And as frustrating as disconnects already are, their impact is only over increased when you realise that a two-hour long session making your ideal LBP level followed by a disconnect will likely see the complete eradication of all of your work.

But, if everything in LittleBigPlanet 3 is designed to funnel you towards the patchwork pastures of level creation, then the ghoulish figure of an untimely disconnection isn’t going to be enough to stifle what may be one of the most creative game communities out there.

Even in its infancy, LittleBigPlanet 3 was full to the brim with levels to play as curated by the community, and that’s thanks in part to backwards compatibility with every level designed in LittleBigPlanet 1 & 2. With this backbone of stellar creations that range from simplistic prize bubble havens to hugely intricate designs that take advantage of every one of the games tricks and gimmicks, the casual LBP player has a wealth of content at their fingertips, which is only expanded upon further by the ever-increasing size of the LittleBigPlanet toolbox. With more objects to play with and the revolutionary addition of another 13 layers, prepare yourself for some of the biggest, most jaw-dropping levels to ever grace a LittleBigPlanet game, as developers Media Molecule are forcibly pushed aside by all manner of seasoned level designers and budding newbies.

Whether you consider the increased size of its level-creator, the continuation of its story or its brand new roster of characters, LittleBigPlanet 3 is evidently a game about expansion. But as the stitches loosen and the colours fade, LittleBigPlanet 3 falters, its strides not big enough, its problems too evident. A game with big ideas that are ultimately hampered by flawed execution, LittleBigPlanet 3 isn’t yet the title that defines the series, but it at least succeeds in fine-tuning the existing LBP experience.

Score

7.5

Graphics

Quaint, colourful and easy on the eye. LittleBigPlanet has an easily discernible look, and it's present in abundance in LBP 3.

8.5

Sound

A wonderful soundtrack is trumped only by terrific voice acting.

7.0

Gameplay

Fluid controls and enjoyable platforming are disappointingly marred by a host of gameplay issues such as input lag and latency problems in cooperative play.

7.0

Fun Factor

Fun on your own, but even more so when playing with friends.

5.5

Online

Lag and disconnections are rife, which impacts a large part of the games repertoire.

Overall

6.5